Daft calorie question

gentlygently

this is daft for quite a reasons - including the fact I don't calorie count (at least not in a MFP logging sort of way...) any more

Anyway - given your average 150lb burns say 70 cals just slumped in front of the tele for an hour ... when MFP and other calculators talk about say 500 cals burned for an hour of swimming - is this including those 70 cals a body is burning just to keep alive?

(When I was logging I used to assume double counting was going on - and be one of those people who tried not to eat all my calories burned back.)

I am a fairly gentle plodder in the pool so obviously I am getting nowhere near that 500 cals burn- but say I walk to the pool and back (30 mins, maybe 100 cals) and then swim for 30/40 mins or so ( 200 cals plus). In this case - if I am trying not to put on the pounds - can my next slice of chocolate cake be 300 cals big, or just 230....?!! That is a disappointingly small slice....

Not posting this in the main MFP as no doubt would get all sorts of unpleasant and contradictory replies!

And - out of interest - how many of you also swim so you can eat cake without a care in the world? As well as to be fit ofcourse!

NoelFigart1

I swim because it's something physical I love to do that I WILL do and I need to work out. I'm pretty heavy (hence the insanely over-inflated calorie burns reported on my exercise!)

The reality is you can't realistically exercise enough to overcome the high calorie treats on a regular basis. But if you work out a lot, and then have a treat occasionally, you're likely fine. I'm an American, and goodness knows our idea of portion is pretty silly, so I getcha on the idea that a 300 calorie dessert seems on the small size.

When I used to count calories, I did NOT eat back exercise calories. I think the idea is silly unless you're training for an endurance event or something. But for routine workouts of under an hour? Naw, I don't think it's a good idea.

girlwithcurls2

I'm a gentle plodder too, gently. I'm pretty close to an average weight (should probably lose the last 10 pounds, which I've decided to work on). I am sure I don't get near the burn listed for swimming an hour, however, mfp underestimates my cardio class. When I'm calorie counting, I DO workout for cake (or beer, or a little extra whatever). I love being in the best shape of my life, but I also know that without a workout, I would only be allowed precious few treats, and frankly, life is short. I am well aware that you can't outrun/swim/dance/Zumba a bad diet, but what I eat for my main meals is balanced and healthy, so while I know I might not get to eat 300 calories of cake, I'm still pretty happy if I can have the 230

AquaticQuests

Best not to eat back your exercise calories, and if you must, then just a proportion - eg eat back only 30% of your exercise calories.
Yes I enjoy swimming, but I also swim as the calorie burn enables me to enjoy some treats I wouldn't be able to if I was relying on eating alone to keep me on track!
That said, even with my calorie burn of 800ish calories per swim, I find if I'm not conscious of what I'm eating and drinking, my weight trends up!

fishgutzy

It is important to note that the leisurely/moderate swim assumes your pace is 50yd/minute. or 2: minutes per 100.
It is the most conservative of the calculators for that pace. My pace is a little faster than that. I just enter 1 minute per lap. So 141 minutes (~1500kCal) for 141 laps even though it takes a little less time than that. If I ever hit a 75 yard/minute pace then I swill switch to the fast swim calc.

gentlygently

Thanks all - one day I might go fast enough to keep up the 'leisurely/moderate' category. Mmm. Doesn't feel at all leisurely to me when I make that kind of pace!

Still - interesting that none of us seem to have a clear views on if 'calories burned' includes 'calories your body needs to stay alive anyway' and thus you should always take away atleast c70 cals per hour of Excercise if you are 'eating back'

As I say, pretty academic really - a small number in the swings and roundabouts of guesstimating portion size, how hard you are really swimming etc etc. But I like maths, and logic - as well as cake. (But never coke AQ, never got that habit!)

Yes I am pondering on those 10lbs too Curly. Being svelt went off the wish-list radar when I got sick....and I am not sure I have the will power to eat less generally / eat less specially yummy things (in my pretty healthy diet) given being not well is so soul destroying at times. But given I am generally on an upward curve Healthwise , maybe I can up the excercise....

mpeters1965

I've been stewing on that do you deduct 70 calories question you had and just couldn't quite figure which MFP was more likely to do. I had never actually thought about it that way. It's interesting though.

I am with most of you guys on not eating back exercise calories. I have exercised regularly for 25 years but still manage to put on pounds if I eat too much so when I need to lose weight, I cut food calories and just keep with my regular exercise schedule.

I also am in the "pondering another 10 lbs" club, although it may be actually 15. All my clothes fit after losing 11 lbs last year so I am having trouble picking up the motivation to knock off the last 10. I've also been lifting weights more so things are shifting around without losing. I'm sort of in a holding pattern for now.

60sPanda

I am one of those that eats ALL or almost all of my calories back - not normally on the day, but I calculate out over the week so that at the weekends I can go for a nice meal / have a few beers and not worry about it. I tried not eating them back for a couple of weeks whilst trying to lose weight and didn't lose an ounce, but when I ate more calories I did lose. The workings of the body are still a mystery to me but eating them back suits me, but may not work for all.

girlwithcurls2

Another thought... I just realized this week that it's been nearly 3 years since I first started to pay attention to (log) my food and lose weight. I had been running at the time, but as soon as I started logging my food and fixing my mistakes (generous portions and snacks through the day/evening), the weight started falling off. I think I might be like Panda. I can eat back most of my exercise calories, but I am now eating much more calorie dense foods, snacking on better choices, and while allowing myself some treats, yes, I do weigh them. My 12 year old dd is a kind of "science-y" kid and finds my weighing, measuring and logging fascinating I'm pleased with it because I'm not obsessive, just always reminding her that it works better for me to know that it's an actual portion, not my eyeballs' idea of what they think a portion should be!

fishgutzy

I set my baseline at -1000kCal to start with. As much as i swim, I'd likely have problems if i didn't eat back any exercise calories.
I just need to get better at logging what i eat. I let the China trips break that habit and paid the price.

htimpaired

fishgutzy wrote: »

It is important to note that the leisurely/moderate swim assumes your pace is 50yd/minute. or 2: minutes per 100.
It is the most conservative of the calculators for that pace. My pace is a little faster than that. I just enter 1 minute per lap. So 141 minutes (~1500kCal) for 141 laps even though it takes a little less time than that. If I ever hit a 75 yard/minute pace then I swill switch to the fast swim calc.

This is where I get confused-the whole "moderate pace vs strenuous pace" etc. I know I feel like I'm working hard. Sometimes my heart feels like it's racing after a set. Sometimes I feel worked, but not exhausted. I suppose it shouldn't matter. My Garmin Swim does a calorie count, and I enter my age, gender and weight so I can assume it's making a reasonable estimated guess. But I never eat back all of my exercise calories. If I do, I also see the scale go up a bit. I exercise so I can eat my brownies

fishgutzy

htimpaired wrote: »

This is where I get confused-the whole "moderate pace vs strenuous pace" etc. I know I feel like I'm working hard. Sometimes my heart feels like it's racing after a set. Sometimes I feel worked, but not exhausted. I suppose it shouldn't matter. My Garmin Swim does a calorie count, and I enter my age, gender and weight so I can assume it's making a reasonable estimated guess. But I never eat back all of my exercise calories. If I do, I also see the scale go up a bit. I exercise so I can eat my brownies

I actually found the assumptions at another source. MFP uses the same calculator.
There are others out there too. I prefer the lower number calculated on MFP. Not looking to max out a posted number.

rosebarnalice

Through some trial and error, and a bit of voodoo math on a spreadsheet, I've concluded that MFP "overenthuses" my regular workout by about 20%. So my solution is that although it takes me 72-73 minutes to swim my regular 54 lap workout, I log it as 60 minutes. Over time, I’ve found that to be fairly accurate—give or take maybe 5%.

And while I don't swim for cake, I DO swim for beer (hmmm. . .. idea for a Zazzle bumper sticker, perhaps?). One swim is worth about 2 of my favorite microbrew IPAs, but I try not to eat back more than about 40-50% of my exercise calories in an average week.

girlwithcurls2

Oh Rose... be still my ! I'd buy a bumper sticker that says, "I swim for beer"!!
I tend to change the length of time of my workout too. I know that MFP overestimates, so if I swim 55 min, I'll input 45. I do know that while I don't meet their criteria for a moderately paced swim, I AM working pretty darn hard, lol...

fishgutzy

I posted this calculator comparison of 3 different swim cal calculator in another thread. Assumptions are shown.

gentlygently

Thanks fg - interesting... (And that is before you allow for variance due to technique etc!)

but - back to my nerdy nit- pick - in that 60 mins you would use c70 caks just to stay alive. Is this allowed for?

Strikes me some people who do quite modest exercise on MFP - eg a v slow swim or walk think they can eat back say all 200 cals burned, but surely in fact their calorie allowance for day has included 70 for that hour, and so they are only really burning 130.

It is pretty academic for those of us who exercise more vigorously, and/or don't eat back all/most cals burned. But is it not an area that does not stack up on mfp and so catches some less active people out?

fishgutzy

gentlygently wrote: »

Thanks fg - interesting... (And that is before you allow for variance due to technique etc!)

but - back to my nerdy nit- pick - in that 60 mins you would use c70 caks just to stay alive. Is this allowed for?

Strikes me some people who do quite modest exercise on MFP - eg a v slow swim or walk think they can eat back say all 200 cals burned, but surely in fact their calorie allowance for day has included 70 for that hour, and so they are only really burning 130.

It is pretty academic for those of us who exercise more vigorously, and/or don't eat back all/most cals burned. But is it not an area that does not stack up on mfp and so catches some less active people out?

This is all for freestyle. Kept all other variable constant to show the difference.
For me I keep it simple. Since I am a little faster than 1 lap per minute, I just enter in MFP calculator 1 minute for each lap completed. Also makes it easier for me to track my cumulative laps.